Best Beer St. Louis 2009 - Black Sky Stout Porter - CLOSED

Black Sky Stout Porter's name is a throwback to the old English nomenclature when "stout" was a synonym for "strong" rather than a style unto itself, according to Drew Huerter, Mattingly's brewer. The beer, Huerter imparts, clocks in at a robust but not overpowering 6 percent alcohol and uses "historical [porter] ingredients, such as brown malt and blackstrap molasses." But Black Sky is also a modern craft beer and reflects Mattingly's creative approach to brewing in the way that it pulls complementary elements from other beer styles and incorporates them seamlessly to make something unique. The result is a delicious beer of great complexity that captivates on its own, yet plays nicely with food. Black Sky is one example of the diverse beers emerging from the potent combination of Huerter's imagination and the freedom Mattingly gives him to express it. (New beers, or variations on existing ones, are released at Peek-a-Brew events held each Wednesday.) That said, Black Sky represents all the best Mattingly has to offer: delicious, complex, innovative and interesting beer.